Diana’s Lasting Presence in William’s Life

This wasn’t the first time Diana’s absence—and her emotional presence—has been acknowledged in moments of great significance in Prince William’s life.

Last year, her memory came up again when news broke that Noel and Liam Gallagher would be putting an end to their decades-long feud to bring back Oasis. The announcement led to some curious comparisons between the Gallagher brothers and William and Harry, whose own strained relationship has made headlines for years.

Brothers, Grief, and Emotional Ties

On LBC radio, psychotherapist Noel McDermott joined presenter Rachel Johnson to explore the parallels between the two famous sets of siblings. They pointed to the strong emotional influence both mothers—Diana for the princes, and Peggy Gallagher for the musicians—had in shaping their sons.

Describing Diana as a “very potent figure,” McDermott explained how early disruptions in attachment can lead individuals to cling tightly to new emotional anchors later in life:
“This sort of interrupted attachment—this attachment style that I talked about—[involves] trying to find a safe attachment which wasn’t available earlier on. Then you get overprotective about that, and so that would be the theoretical model I’d be working with.”

Rachel responded with a personal observation:
“So what I’ve often thought is that Harry has replaced Princess Diana with Meghan [Markle] in his emotional landscape… Kate is Princess Diana for William. So, any insult to their wives is insulting their mother.”

McDermott agreed, adding:
“It’s really touching the trauma of that experience. So, touching upon that—training on that—has to be done very lightly.”